Jamie Oliver gives cooking display in Qld

A five-year-old boy with a pint-sized chef's hat and a love for food won the heart of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver at an open air public cooking display in Ipswich.

Aston Wright was nestled with 500 enthusiasts at the small amphitheatre on Saturday wearing a white paper chef's style hat and a sign which read "Hi Jamie Hi' when he caught the attention of Mr Oliver.

Aston and his mother Elicia were then plucked from the crowd to join Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, rugby identity Peter Fitzsimmons, Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale and more than a dozen other amateur chefs to learn how to make chicken fajitas.

"He (Aston) put his hand up to be picked and I'm thinking, 'No'," Ms Wright said.

"It was pretty unreal the whole experience and Jamie was sweet."

Oliver charmed the audience and Ms Bligh with his smooth talking.

He said food had to have attitude and salsa needs to be "aggressively seasoned" and have the character of an over-the-top person you invite to a party because they always made sure it is a good time.

Oliver, who was making his first visit to Australia in two years, also called the premier "sweetheart" as he prepared her dish.

Then fearing he may have been out of line, he asked the premier for permission.

"You don't mind if I call you sweetheart, Anna?" Oliver asked with a huge grin.

Ms Bligh was too busy licking her fingers and in deep thought about her dish to hear Oliver's plea for permission.

If anything, Ms Bligh was more comfortable and relaxed behind the portable cooker than she is behind a lectern delivering policies.

She was also at ease using the set of sharp knives at her disposal, unlike Mr Fitzsimmons or Mr Pisasale.

Mr Fitzsimmons' cutting technique, especially when chopping the red onion, was a little awkward to say the least, and Mr Pisasale opted for a carving knife instead of the small paring knife to remove seeds from a chili.

The class lasted about 25 minutes and much to Oliver's disappointment he, and none of those in the class, were able to share their work with anyone because of health regulations.

"I'm not allowed to share with you," a disappointed Oliver told the crowd.

"You're just going to have to trust me."

He then called Aston over and held him up to the crowd.

"If I didn't know Australia had been so kind to me over the years, in England right now the headline tomorrow would be Jamie has an illicit child," Oliver said.

"This is what it's all about.

"If we can make it (cooking) fun at school and at home we are laughing."

After the class, Oliver was mobbed by the crowd with many thrusting his 30-minute cookbook under his nose to be signed.

He did his best to accommodate as many people as he could but in the end security politely stepped in to assist as the signing became a just little overcooked.